By Sonia Isaacs
SUNSHINE Coast Council has unanimously approved a scaled-back tourist park at Glass House Mountains, imposing what councillors described as some of the strictest conditions ever attached to a rural development application after months of heated community debate.
The controversial proposal for 29 Roberts Street was approved at council’s May 21 ordinary meeting, with councillors voting unanimously in favour of the amended development despite more than 114 public submissions opposing the original plan and a petition carrying around 550 signatures.
The revised project has been reduced to a low-scale tourist park comprising eight cabins and 12 camping sites, after the applicant removed earlier plans for a timber mill, function centre, café and other more intensive tourism elements.
Divisional councillor Cr Jenny Broderick said the decision had been “a difficult one”, acknowledging widespread concern from residents about traffic, privacy, rural character and the future of the Northern Inter Urban Break.
“This is not just a development application. This is [residents’] home, your environment, and your day-to-day living and amenity that could potentially be affected,” Cr Broderick told the meeting.
She said the approved proposal was “significantly reduced in scale” in direct response to community feedback, with council placing extensive operational and environmental safe-guards on the development.
Key conditions include guests-only access, a permanent on-site caretaker, strict noise and lighting controls, landscaped screening, traffic upgrades and requirements for any future expansion to undergo separate development assessment.
“I genuinely haven’t seen this many conditions placed on a DA in a rural zone ever, and it’s all because of the community and the feedback that we’ve been given,” Cr Broderick said.
Council officers recommended approval after concluding the amended proposal could comply with the planning scheme if operated under strict conditions. The applicant will be required to seal Roberts Street, upgrade the Roberts Street–Youngs Road intersection, widen sections of Youngs Road to improve two-way vehicle access and implement an operational management plan governing guest behaviour, complaints handling and site operations.
Officers said the low-rise, low-intensity tourist park was consistent with planning provisions for the rural zone and the Northern Inter Urban Break, provided impacts were tightly managed.
Community group Northern Inter Urban Break Integrity Association Inc said residents remained uneasy about the long-term implications of the approval, despite acknowledging council had responded to many concerns raised during consultation.
Association honorary secretary Sue Diserens said residents feared the development could set a precedent for further tourism projects within the region’s green belt.
“Local residents feel that although Council’s approval of the Tourist Park at Glass House Mountains may, on paper, be in line with the amended planning regulations, the character and liveability within Glass House Mountains and privacy of adjoining residents have been negatively impacted as a result,” Ms Diserens said. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”
She said the removal of the timber mill and function centre had eased fears about excessive traffic, late-night activity and noise, but concerns remained around pedestrian safety on narrow local roads, particularly for visitors unfamiliar with the area.“We’ve already had a near miss with pedestrians walking without torches near the bridge into town,” she said.
“There’s no footpath along that stretch, and for people who don’t know the area, it can be really dangerous.”
Ms Diserens said residents would now be watching closely to ensure council enforced the extensive conditions attached to the approval.
“Conditions are only as good as the monitoring behind them,” she said.